The Winnipeg Jets trusted head coach Paul Maurice in front of the cameras, Thursday. They weren’t quite as sure about Josh Morrissey. Maurice’s reaction to Morrissey’s one-game suspension was relatively tame, going into the potential series-deciding Game 5 against Minnesota, Friday. “I’m disappointed. And then you just move on,” Maurice said. “I’m not holding anything back from you, biting my tongue. I was disappointed with the way it went. And there wouldn’t be a coach in the NHL who had a guy taken out of his lineup that wouldn’t be. “The NHL’s got a job to do, and it’s an important one. They weigh it heavily. They don’t want to take players out of the lineup. They’re trying to sometimes be real consistent with a moving target and it’s not always easy.” As for Morrissey, the Jets did not make him available for questions, perhaps recalling L.A. Kings defenceman Drew Doughty’s “I think it’s B.S.” comment after he recently received a one-game ban. As for the size of the hole left by the loss of Morrissey, Maurice says he’ll find out, Friday. “That won’t be dependent on Josh – that will be dependant on the guys that we have,” the coach said. “We’re going to put six guys that have played in the NHL on the ice and we expect them to be good.” Staal shrugged off the news of Morrissey’s suspension better than he absorbed the high cross-check in Game 4. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We’ve got to win. That’s all I’m worried about. Regardless of what they decided, it wouldn’t have made a difference. I’m worried about trying to help our team win the game up there and take it home.”READY TO GET PHYSICAL Rookie defenceman Sami Niku, who’d fill in for Morrissey if Tyler Myers isn’t ready to go, guesses a playoff game will be different than the one regular-season game he played. “Of course it’s always different in playoffs. More hits and more physical,” he said. “But it’s still the same game. I think I could handle it.” Niku is known for his offence, and put up 54 points, including 16 goals, in 76 games with the AHL Manitoba Moose this season. What about his defence? “Of course it’s more important, defence than offence, when I’m a defenceman,” he said. “But I can do both.”ALL WINNIPEG, ALL THE TIME Wild coach Bruce Boudreau is hoping to add some offence by replacing defenceman Carson Soucy with the more experienced Ryan Murphy. It’ll be the five-year NHLer’s first playoff game, too. “I actually made my NHL debut against the Winnipeg Jets, too,” Murphy, formerly with Carolina, said. “And my Minnesota debut against the Jets. So it’s Winnipeg all the time.” Murphy had five points in 21 games this season.ONE EYE ON THE PREDS The Jets had an extra day off, Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean they got away from hockey. “You still come to the rink, watch video, you’re thinking about the game, the next game,” Bryan Little said. “And then you go home at night and playoffs are on TV, so you end up watching a bit of hockey. No, it’s always kind of in the back of your head, that next one.” Little says the series that’s caught his eye the most is the other Central Division matchup, Predators vs Avalanche. “I’ve been watching a lot of the Nashville series. We’re not looking ahead, but they’re a team we could potentially face.”CONNOR COMING OFF A DANDY Asked which teammate has really stepped up his game of late, Little pointed to rookie Kyle Connor. “He was absolutely flying last game,” Little said. “He doesn’t get talked about as much as some of the other guys. He’s doing it more consistently now. It just seems like he’s ready to go, and he’s turned it up another notch.” Little marveled at Connor’s pass that set up Mark Scheifele’s game-winning goal in a 2-0 win in Minnesota, Tuesday. “It was unreal… under and through two sticks. That was pretty impressive. His speed and his shot are his biggest weapons. When he’s going in a game you can tell right away, usually the first couple of shifts, that he’s feeling it.” Stars like Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Patrik Laine might have overshadowed Connor’s 31-goal season, but the 21-year-old likely won’t fly under the radar much longer. “People are starting to realize how good this kid is,” Little said. “He was up there in rookie scoring. He deserves at least to be nominated for the Calder. And he’s young. He’s going to get better and better.”LAINE MARKS MILESTONE Thursday marked Laine’s 20th birthday, but the Finn said he had no special dinner or celebration planned, just “hanging around home.” That’s a tad more boring than his last two years as a teenager, which included 80 regular-season goals, plus two in the playoffs. “Now I’m disappointed that it’s over,” Laine said. “But I’m happy what I was able to do before my 20th birthday. My playbook and my game plans are going to be the same. It’s not going to switch. It’s the best game plan I have and I’m not going to change that.”THE LAST WORD Nik Ehlers, on if he got anything special for Laine’s birthday: “My company. It’s pretty priceless.” pfriesen@postmedia.com Twitter: @friesensunmedia

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